HENRY CHUA – FEATURED COLLECTOR -2009

Mr. Henry Chua was an officer of the Filipinas Stamp Collectors’ Club from 2002 to 2004. He started collecting stamps at an early age , He used to manage a bookstore in the province of Pampanga.

picture courtesy of : Mr. Henry Chua

He was one time an associate editor from 1994 to 2004 of Peoples’ Journal Group of company ( People’s Tonight) – a popular national tabloid written in English .

Old photograph – Rizal’s execution

Personal collections included books, old photographs,music, old movies, first day covers, Philippine stamps , Japanese stamps, Thailand stamps, United Kingdom, Australia, Hongkong, Taiwan, China , United States , popular Japanese anime characters like Doreamon, Conan, Astroboy, Gundam, Hello Kitty among others.

stamp albums in a book shelve

He is also an active blogger , according to him ” It is like in the field of journalism ” you need to be updated with a lot of things. His blog site was nominated at one time as “Best personal blog site” !!!.

collection of stamps, Marilyn Monroe, painting framed and hung on one side of his room

His wife’s hobby included caring for over half a dozen Rugrats cats- this breed is almost similar with Persian cats with shorter hair. 2 large aquarium with different colored cichlids , a bengal cat and chow-chow dogs…

If these were not enough, their garden boast of several Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid, Aglaonema and Euphorbias .

Interested persons who wanted to trade or buy stamps are required to have an appointment with Mr. Chua in Quezon City

For those who are interested in his blog and wanted to trade.

http://www.pogiforlife.com/

Original post Oct 11 2009

5TH KOMIKON TALES-2009

Komikon 2009

The staging of the Komikon festival in SM Megamall, Mandaluyongon October 18 was successful. More than 10,000 people trooped to the convention area just to mingle with over 100 comic artists, publishers, writers, enthusiasts, collectors and sponsors.

charity auction for victims of Typhoon Ketsana and Typhoon Parma

There was a comic auction where proceeds of the said event was donated to the victims of Typhoon Ketsana ( Ondoy) and Typhoon Parma ( Pepeng) The combined proceeds amounted to over Php10,000 .

on the spot caricature contest winners

Contests like the Independent Comic Book Creation Contest, On the Spot Comic Strip Making and the Original Character Making Contest hopes to bring out the next generation of Comic Book creators to the forefront. Various comic works by the legend Mr. Alfredo Alcala, Mr. Larry Alcala (cartoonist), Tony Velasquez, Mars Ravelo, Pablo Gomez, among others were displayed on a gallery type setting. Friendly marshals, staffs and the secretariat offered help and assistance to the people visiting the convention site. Unlike other event, this convention caters to the teenagers, generations x, y,z , the yuppies and young professionals who were avid fans of the comic industry.

This convention aims to promote the camaraderie and to foster the artistic nature of the Filipino comic industry. While the comic industry of the Philippines may date as far as the early 20th century with popular Filipino comic heroes such as Kenkoy , Kalabog en Bosyo , Larry Alcala works , Darna, Panday , Gagambino were turned into movies and depicted on stamps , let us not forget that hundreds or even thousands of Filipino cartoonists from all over the world working for the top anime or comic companies such as Marvel, Disney- Pixar Thus Filipinos are ranked as one of the “World’s Top Cartoonist”. FilCartoon , Philippine Animation Studio Inc. were some of the foreign based companies which set up their outsourcing jobs in the country. FilCartoons, for example, does work on Flintstones, Mad Jack the Pirate and Toonsylvania, cartoon shows for the American firms Saban and Dreamworks SKG. Their artists have done much of the acclaimed work in Fox Studios’ Anastasia and Disney’s Mulan, Finding Nemo among others. Cartoonists find affinity with their fellow nationals doing multinational and overseas contract work.

They are hired because of their pleasing personalities, command of the English language, high skills, western disposition, and their acceptance of lower salaries than their counterparts. However, Just like in any industry, there are pitfalls in the Philippine comic industry examples are lack of government support, high production cost among others.

Love in the Bag comics

ASEAN countries like Thailand and Malaysia minimum volume of comic print over 5,000 per issue , while one artist publisher Mr. Ace Vitangcol revealed to me that his orginal work ” Love is in the Bag ” series have about 1,000 copies!!!!! In the comic and book publishing industry 1,000 copies is indeed a very limited series…. a collectible item !

Mr. Mike Unson 

I personally met the dynamic duo host Mr. Mike Unson and Mr. Stanley Chi in Philippine prime time comedy skit ” Front Act ” which is beingaired every sunday on TV channel 5 . The show is one of the event media partners together with Jack television . Mr. Mike Unson is a stand up comedian, actor, comic collector among others while Mr. Stanley Chi is the producer, host, comic artist, graphic master etc…

(left) Mr. Stanley Chi

Mr. Chi is well-known in the Tsinoy community as a comic illustrator and was once featured in Tulay Forthnightly Digest a bi-monthly digest and Manila Bulletin among others . 

The friendly hosts gladly took some time in chatting with me despite of their hectic schedule. 

Kudos for the organizers , sympathizers and to all the people who went and support the Komikon 2009 !!!! With this , everyone is hoping for the best in the Philippine comic industry !!!

Original post October 18, 2009

COLLECTICON 2009 TALES

Collecticon 2009

This was one of the conventions in which toy, anime, comics, cd’s, coke and other stuffs would not totally missed. However, compared to the 8th Toy Convention held last June 13 to 14, 2009 in SM Megamall, There were fewer freebies and (toy collection) exhibits.

Toy dealer 

The People

crowd at the Collecticon 2009

There was no entrance fee, which means more people and collectors alike can go to the event. Compared to the Toy Convention, There were far more tourists like Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Iranian, Americans, Indians , Brazilians and Europeans were seen buying toys and curio stuffs. The place is accessible to commuters and near university belt area (meaning, even more students can go!!!)

cosplayers

 Cosplay players were all over the place!!!! They serve as a mascot for the event. Some even went to the 3rd and fourth level of the mall.

Toys and other collectibles 

Despite of the 2 storms that hit the country and the on going recession, the traders were having a brisk sale!!! There was only one vintage curio trader within the vicinity. According to some people who visited the event, This was just a smaller version of the convention.

toy auction

There is also a live auction. Unlike regular auction, starting bid may start as low as 1 peso and some toys may reach a few hundreds or even a few thousand.

spot the bomb contest

There was a promotional booth were people were given a piece of paper in order to” spot the bomb”. They had to spot the 10 bombs in the drawing and if they spotted them correctly they are given instant gifts and a stub for a chance to win some toys.

an array of coca-cola merchandises ( license and private issues)

One stall (perhaps the only one) that caught my fancy sells a lot of curio and vintage stuffs. coca-cola bottles both opened and unopened, old car plates from the United States, plaques, reproduction photos, coins, pins and other stuffs. The owner is a member of the Bayanihan, Bank Note Society of the Philippines and had a regular commercial outlet in Tomas Morato, Bulacan and Cubao.

anime and cartoon dvd

There is also a trader which sells anime cd’s, basketball cards, baseball cards, movie cards, phone cards, celebrity cards among others.

The basketball trading cards were very popular in the 1970’s to mid-1990’s.

Philippines provincial coca-cola bottles limited edition

Colorful hair dyeing colors are the must buy for the day. The free hair styling and dyeing sessions was an –in thing for the kids!!!! The owner told me that even cosplay players and television celebrities bought a lot of the hair colors.

Kewpie dolls

There is also a store that sells the popular Kewpie dolls. The Kewpie dolls first appeared in a Ladies Home Journal in 1909. Rose O’Neillhad become America’s highest paid female illustrator.

In 1911, a sculptor named Joseph Kallus was chosen for the job, He was a young art student from Pratt Art Institute . Mr. Kallus was the one who have the talent to turn Ms. Rosie O’ Neil illustrations into a doll. Kallus sculpted the very first Kewpie Doll model in bisque, soon followed by celluloid dolls, Ms. O’Neill took a voyage to Germany to contract with a doll manufacturer to begin producing Kewpie Dolls for the public.

The fat, roly-poly babies were meant to depict the alter ego of the Roman myth of cupid. According to O’Neill, cupid is guilty of getting people into trouble. Kewpie, by contrast, exists to help people get out of trouble! From a modern psychological viewpoint, one can certainly conjecture that Rose O’Neill had good reason to long for a friendly little being with the power to heal a troubled heart.

The toys became an instant hit among the American people, the trend of collecting the dolls soon spread across Europe and other parts of the world.

The toys reach the peak of popularity in the mid 1960’s and 1970’s. Some Kewpie dolls were made of porcelain and command higher prices.

For bargain hunters like second hand matchboxes toys- there is a stall that sell them at a bargain prices – price ranges from Php 20 pesos and above. People from all walks of life were swarming around the booth just to buy some toy cars. Who said Ukay-ukay is just confined to clothes and home furniture???

crowd buying second hand die cast toys

Serious toy collectors wanted toys to be in pristine condition (mint) that included the original boxes and their contents unopened.

I hope that more vintage collectors, sponsors and media tie-ups would be given a chance to participate in the event. Whether just a lecture series or a commercial booth.

(Oct 12 2009)

DORAEMON STAMPS 2009

Doraemon is a blue cat-like robot in Japanese comic books. He is very popular in Japan. Everybody loves him—children, mothers, students. He came from the future to the present in a time machine.

This a a favorite Japanese manga series created by Mr. Fujiko F. Fujio– pen name of Mr. Hiroshi Fujimoto . The series is about a robotic cat who travels back in time from the 22nd century . The cat had a special pocket with a lot of clever new innovations always in to aid a school boy and a friend Nobita Nobi (野比 のび太 )an elementary school student.

The series first appeared in December 1969, when it was published simultaneously in six different magazines. In total, 1,344 stories were created in the original series, which are published by Shogakukan under the Tentōmushi (てんとう虫 ) manga brand, extending to forty-five volumes. The volumes are collected in the Takaoka Central Library in Toyama, Japan. Fujio was born in Toyama.

Doraemon stamps issued on 2004 (Photo: courtesy Of Mr. William Chua)

A majority of Doraemon episodes are comedies with moral lessons regarding values such as integrity, perseverance, courage, family and respect for elders. Several noteworthy environmental issues are often visited, including homeless animals, endangered species , deforestation , loss of habitat and pollution .

Doraemon was awarded the first Shogakukan Manga award for children’s manga or cartoon in 1982, and the first Osamu Tezuka Culture Award in 1997. In March 2008, Japan’s Foreign Ministry appointed Doraemon as the nation’s first “anime ambassador.” Ministry spokesman explained the novel decision as an attempt to help people in other countries to understand Japanese anime better and to deepen their interest in Japanese anime culture The Foreign Ministry action confirms that Doraemon has come to be considered a Japanese cultural icon. In 2002, the anime character was acclaimed as an Asian Hero in a special feature survey conducted by Time Asia magazine.

This popular anime character had been immortalized on stamps , stuff toys, fast food toys, key chains, stationery etc..

The show is locally shown on GMA channel 7 in the mid 1990’s

(oct 30,2009)

HALLOWEEN COLLECTIBLES 2009

Halloween pumpkin made from plastics

Did you like scary movies and toys when you were a kid? Can you still remember great Tagalog films like ” Shake Rattle and Roll”produced by Regal films in the 1980’s until today ? Do you still love those things today and find they make great collectibles? Halloween Collectibles you’ll find scary dolls, Universal Monsters, Monster models, Mc Farlane Movie Maniacs, Elvira dolls, Night mare before Christmas toys from the past and present! collectables here, this is just a site for information on the latest and greatest! And we can point you in the right direction to find them if possible.

classic movie monster on stamps

On September 30, 1997 The United States Postal Service issued “Classic Movie Monsters” stamps at Universal Studios Hollywood starring Lon Chaney as “The Phantom of the Opera“, Bela Lugosi as “Dracula“, Boris Karloff as ” Frankenstein” and “The Mummy” and Lon Chaney, Jr. as “The Wolf Man” on Commemorative Stamps immortalizing them as the icons of the horror genre.

Nightmare before Christmas character figurines

This is the time of the year when this some holiday is celebrated all over the world. but few people would know that there are people who collects halloween stuffs , toys, posters , collectibles from costumes to figurines and to stamps.

I knew some people who tend to collect halloween themed toys and dvd movies. but due to security reasons , some of them do not like their names to be posted and thus remain a mystery in the collecting world.

(october 31,2009)

UNIQUE COLLECTIONS ! 2009

Collections of Mrs. Adoracion S. Bernabe

Tita Dorie as she is fondly remembered by her peers in various plant societies and other affiliate organizations had vast collections of plants, rocks, stones, memorabilia , paintings , antique and stamps among others in her Pansol Laguna home.

She is the current president of Cactus & Succulent Society of the Philippines and also an active member and officer of various horticultural societies across the country.

For security reasons , the author will not disclose the exact location of her home and the extent of her own collection.

(September 15, 2009)

A COLLECTOR’S HUMBLE ABODE 2009

Ms. May Dumlao is a former educator, editor and an entrepreneur . She is known to have a fine collection of ferns, hoyas, orchids, bromeliads, aroids and is an active member of Philippine Horticultural Society, Fern and Nature Society of the Philippines.

An specimen sized Platycerium sp. in Ms. Mae Dumlao’s garden

Her home is also a favorite hangout of the members of the societies and even friends of her children since the place is quite accessible. She also recalled that television crew and movie outfit would ask permission to have a location shoot inside her home.

Tita Mae had various collections of paintings and sketches from reknown Philippine artists that were prominently hanged in her sala, dining room, bedroom and even near the passageway. In one instance, a photographer from a lifestyle magazine wanted to take pictures and to do stories of her famed painting collections, but this would entail the removal of these valuable items to be removed from their location. She politely decided not to allow the crew to feature her collections.

Her additional collection also includes matchboxes, ceramics, gongs and at one time collected stamps, paper bills and even Santos made from local Philippine wood. According to her relatives, peers, students and children gave most of the collection that were accumulated in a span of over 40 years. Part of her collection also included old ceramic plates and jars from the Ming and Manchu dynasty, which were excavated by her group during the 1960’s in an undisclosed excavation sites in one of the provinces up north.

Back then; people would not dare collect these items since they believe that these things would bring bad luck. Most of the rare finds were being bought by foreigners like Taiwanese, Japanese and even Americans which would hire local treasure hunters. We just collected the ordinary ones and even dug some of the ceramics ourselves. In some instances, whenever we had a time to go to the beach we also collect shells.

She is also a writer, editor, cook, emcee among others.

(September 17, 2009)

CORAZON AQUINO MEMORIAM STAMPS 2009

The Philpost had issued last September 8 , 2009 a special commemorative memoriam stamps for the late president Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. This was a day before the 40th death anniversary .

First day issue with se-tenant stamp

Some of the memoriam stamps that was issued by the Philpost includes former president Ramon Magsaysay , US president John F. Kennedy , Pope John Paul II, former Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin among others.

President Cory is a known devotee of Mother Mary. The EDSA Shrine was formally known as the Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace, which is dedicated to Our Lady whom many believe miraculously interceded to oust the dictatorship in a peaceful uprising in 1986.

The Philippine Postal Corporation released a limited quantities of se-tenants postage stamps, or two pieces of stamps that are joined together but bearing different designs, in honor of the former leader.

whole sheet of President Corazon Aquino stamps

PhilPost had issued a limited number of the stamps of 70,000 pieces of this new Aquino stamps will be made available to the public and collectors alike.

Four-hundred pieces of first day cover (FDC) envelopes was given as a special gift to the Aquino family. A limited number will be made available for sale during the launching, strictly for those who have been invited to the affair.

Menchit Ongpin, whose photograph of President Aquino was used in the stamp and University of Fine Arts professor Marco Ruben Trinos Malto II would also receive smaller versions of the stamp frame for their respective contributions in the preparation of this iconic stamp.

Villanueva said that “Cory Aquino stamps will serve as a fitting tribute to her achievements before her incumbency when she led the 1986 People Power Revolution. As well as the freedom and democracy that we regained during her tenure, including fighting off several coup attempts to unseat her, must never be forgotten by all Filipinos,” he said.

Villanueva is also hoping that the stamps would serve as a permanent reminder to all Filipinos, those present and future generations, of her valuable contribution to the country.

complete set of 1992 Kabisig stamps of then President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino

This is the fifth Cory stamps issued by PhilPost. The first was when she assumed the Presidency in 1986. This is not to include the definitive issues by the Philpost in the early 2000.

complete set of 1986 People Power stamp (mint condition)

Above – Sen. Benigno Aquino post card, 1992 Kabisig first day cover

Breakdown:

1986 People Power 4 piece set issue plus souvenir sheet

1987 Constitution 2 piece set

1992 Kabisig Program 4 piece set

1992 President Aquino with President Ramos inaugural stamp

The production of the stamps was coordinated by Mr. Rapa Lopa, nephew of Mrs. Aquino, who is also the Executive Director of the Benigno Aquino, Jr. Foundation.

However, Most of the first edition print were already sold-out during the first 3 days of the sale!!!!! The Philpost again reprinted another 150,000 se-tenant set or about 300,000 stamps of Cory.

Philatelists , saw the second print editions had color variations. Thus creating another market ( errors and variation)!!! The first printed edition is highly collectible since only 35,000 pieces of se-tenant pairs were issued.

Very limited indeed!!!!

(September 21, 2009)

VINTAGE CAR 2009

white Cadillac car parked within San Agustin Church

While conducting a Free Postal Heritage Walking Tours within Intramuros last September 20. The tour group chance upon an old vintage  Cadillac car that was used in one of the wedding ceremonies within the San Agustin Church and compound.

The owner bought around 7 old vintage cars and refurbished them . According to the care taker this particular car was rented on a per hour basis with a driver. Lucky for the group that the owner allowed the group to take photographed of this wonderful vehicle for free!!! en gratis !!!

In a tropical climate such as the Philippines , maintaining a vintage car can be very challenging !!!!

(SEPTEMBER 22, 2009)